MISENHEIMER — Over the weekend, Richmond left its mark on the course at Pfeiffer University.
Head coach Reggie Miller saw both the boys and girls cross country teams finish first in their respective races, for the second time this season, in a non-conference invitational.
Senior Brandon Silva and sophomore Aieral Brown, once again, led the way for the Raider squads with their first-place finishes. Junior Zachariah Hamilton finished second and sophomore Joey Nicholson came in third for the boys, and senior Shelby Matheson finished second and freshman Grace Weatherford came in fourth for the girls.
Chris Spivey (24th) and Dylan Richardson (26th) rounded out the boys team’s top-five finishes.
“I had three kids finish top 10 in both races,” Miller said. “Good results always happen when you work hard…and these kids work hard.”
Richmond’s boys — who earned 52 points — ran against A.L. Brown, East Rowan, Gray Stone Day School, Greater Cabarrus, Fuquay-Varina, Clover Garden School, Wheatmore, Jesse C. Carson, Central Academy and Jay M. Robinson.
Richmond’s girls — who tallied 37 points — competed against Jesse C. Carson, Gray Stone Day School, Wheatmore, Greater Cabarrus and Queens Grant.
“We’re still climbing that ladder. There’s nothing easy and the kids know that,” Miller added.
With two of the boys team’s top runners nursuing hip injuries, Miller is weighing his options on whether or not he wants to sit them when the team hosts a conference meet at Hinson Lake on Tuesday.
“They want to run, but we’ve got to be smart. We don’t want to get down the road and the injuries cause them not to be able to participate in the conference championship race or regionals,” he said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to take a rest.”
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.